Buckeye police chief suspended during investigation into misconduct

PHOENIX — The city of Buckeye has suspended its chief of police for 40 hours during an investigation into an anonymous letter over alleged misconduct by department leadership.

Annie DeChance with the City of Buckeye told KTAR News 92.3 FM in a statement that Buckeye Police Chief Larry Hall “accepted responsibility for city policy violations.”

Hall will return to duty on Nov. 9, DeChance said.

“At this time, any actions the city is taking in regard to misconduct are considered personnel matters, are subject to appeal and cannot be discussed until due process is completed,” she added.

The letter, written by multiple anonymous police department employees, was sent to city officials in September 2017.

One of the alleged misdeeds included leadership pressuring others into falsifying crime statistics to lower the crime rate.

The city brought in a private company to investigate the claims last year.

According to a statement from October, the city received a report of the company’s findings and is determining if further investigation is needed.

In September, a home security website ranked Buckeye as the safest city in Arizona based on its violent crime statistics.

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